Active Noise Canceling

For whatever reason you need music pumped into the background of an event or the foreground of a party, you have a discomforting number of options for speakers in the market. Well, Samsung-owned JBL has gone and complicated that market a bit further this IFA and while it has typically does a quality job on everything, you might need a little introduction on what all these speakers are good for — that's what we're here for.

Believe it or not, you can purchase premium active noise-canceling earphones for more than $350. Just because Bluetooth has some quality limitations doesn't mean that you can bump it up with great hardware and nuanced software. Dolby seems to think it has a good mix with its Dolby Dimension over-ear headphones and, for just today, you can get it for $200 off.

Even though Bose and Sony lead the noise-canceling headphone market, there are a bunch of great options out there you can consider. One of them is Jabra's Elite 85h bluetooth headset, which features active noise cancelation, USB-C connectivity, and a 3.5mm port. The device was released back in January for $300, but is now available for just $237 for Prime Day.

The hottest noise-canceling headphones come at a premium — big names like Sony's WH-1000XM3 can cost more than $300. But there are more affordable alternatives! The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 are a good one, and right now, they're just $120 — a sum our own Rita describes as "almost a steal."

Audio-Technica is a fan-favorite manufacturer of comparatively reasonably priced, high-quality audio gear. The company announced a slew of new products at CES this year, including several pairs of new additions to its noise-canceling QuietPoint line. Among those are the ATH-ANC900BT, a pair of high-end wireless cans meant to compete with the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM3.

Since Google's new Pixel 2s have Bluetooth battery indicators, it's probably time for you to invest in a pair of Bluetooth headphones. Just to see what that indicator looks like, of course. Not because $119.99 is a great deal for some active noise-canceling, on-ear Bluetooth headphones with up to 10 hours of battery life. Honest.

We've seen more and more Bluetooth headphones as OEMs continue to drop headphone jacks, and today Sony has added three more to its lineup. The WF-1000X, WI-1000X, and WH-1000XM2 don't have especially distinct or poignant names, but together they represent a broad selection. Whatever one's needs are in a pair of noise canceling headphones, at least one of these should meet them.

Over-ear Bluetooth headphones are a dime a dozen these days, but great ones that also offer noise canceling and high-quality audio are few and far between. Sony's MDR-1000X is one of these but its $399.99 price is enough to give anyone pause. However, it's now being discounted $102 thus making it $298, its lowest price yet.

The MDR-1000X is often mentioned each time we talk about the Bose QC35 and other expensive noise canceling headphones, because it falls in the same league and offers one clear advantage over its competitors: LDAC support. In layman terms, LDAC lets you transmit high-quality audio files (24-bit, 96kHz) quickly enough over Bluetooth, but if you're interested in learning more about it, you can check out this explainer from Android Authority.

You'd be hard pressed to find a Bluetooth headset with more features than Plantronics' BackBeat Pro+. Active noise canceling? Check. NFC? Sure. Bluetooth and 3.5mm plug? Yes, definitely. Multipoint technology? Oui. And the list goes on and on. Name any option and the Pro+ likely has it. If you're looking for a jack of all trades headset, you'll waste a lot of time trying to find one more versatile and feature-filled than the BackBeat Pro+, but there's more to this pair of headphones than gimmicks and long feature lists. The Pro+ shines in some instances that I didn't know I'd appreciate and falls flat in some other places where I had higher expectations.